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Success in today's field of dentistry is not an easy thing to come by. When economies slip and fall, dental practices are quite often among the first medical fields to suffer. As dentists we are well schooled in the difficulty of getting patients to prioritize their dental health under even the best of circumstances; when patients have to start prioritizing their spending, it's an even more difficult sell.
No longer can today's dentists assume they will prosper simply because they have the training and education and serve an important need. It will not do to hang out your sign and wait for needy patients to walk through your doors. Today dentists must take a very active approach to practice management to compete, to survive, and to thrive. Today's successful dentist is much more than just a good doctor.
A Prospering Practice Begins With Your Personal Attitude
It could easily be argued that there was a day when a dentist's attitude didn't matter as much as it does today. Dentists were necessary professionals. To be sure, they still are, but there are also a lot of options in dentistry for people to choose from. In the past options were more localized and more limited, and everyone went to see the local "doc". Now, not only are there increasing local options, but people are already mobilized and more willing to travel fair distances to see their doctor of preference. It used to be a given that a good dentist or doctor would be a successful one; but those days of lackadaisical practice are gone.
What does this mean for you and your practice, then? It means that today you must have a much more rounded approach to the management of your practice. That approach must be a whole-practice approach, and it starts with the very foundation of your business aE" you.
Dentist Attitude And Behavior: Priority Number One
Dr. Shetter of Michigan states it thus: "As the model for health-care delivery continues to change, behavioral skills will be a key factor in keeping us successfulaE¦We believe the ideal model to help people move toward dental health is based on a behavioral approach."1
And as stated in Good Practice to Thriving Practice, behavior and attitude go hand-in-hand.2 "Emotions,
cognitive responses, and behavior" make up your attitude, and your attitude toward both your practice and toward your patients are the very foundation of your business.
There are numerous personal benefits to developing a more positive and proactive attitude with which to approach your business. You personally benefit from reduced stress and a generally happier state of mind and body; your staff benefits by working in a less hostile environment and with a superior who is known as approachable and interested in the success of the practice; patients A benefit because they sense the overall attitude of commitment to care and success.
Your staff and your patients will take their cues from your outlook and your attitude. It is very easy for either to know what type of practice they are walking into just from the amount of time spent in the waiting room. A visit to the dentist is stressful enough for many patients, and none will want to continue to patronize a practice where they feel people are working against each other, and not together for the patient. Take the time to explore your own personal attitude and to work on the ways that you can develop and improve it for both your personal good, and for the health of your dental practice.
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